As an All- Volunteer-Run organization, Kickstand is always in need of helping hand. The cool thing is, you don’t need to know anything about bikes to get involved.

THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO VOLUNTEER AT KICKSTAND:

  • Providing mechanical support to
    community members in the shop

  • Sorting parts & organizing the shop

  • Helping out with events

  • Community outreach

  • Fundraising & grant writing

  • Organizational development

  • Communications & social media

 

In addition to supporting the community, there are other perks that come with volunteering at Kickstand. Please note that we require volunteers to contribute a minimum of 5 hours per month in order to access these perks.

  • Free workshops on bike mechanics, anti-oppression, bike art and more

  • Discounts on new and used parts

  • Free shop time during volunteer nights

  • Eligible to build a free bike after 40 hours of volunteer time


For a full list of perks and details check out the Volunteer Manual.

 

Kickstand’s current Volunteer programming

Open to the Public Shifts - Kickstand is open to the public for sliding scale stand rental and shop sales on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays , Fridays and Sundays. Volunteers sign up on the schedule to help open and staff the shop. They welcome Shop Users into the space and guide them through their repairs using hands-off, DIY (Do It Yourself) education.

The Gleaners Gathering - With the help of Vancity’s Envirofund Grant, Kickstand partner’s with local commercial bike shops around Vancouver to take care of their recycling in return for their good quality used parts. Every second Tuesday we order pizza and sort through some wacky and wonderful parts that we’ve been donated throughout the week. This is a great educational experience for new volunteers to learn about waste diversion and how to discern still-good used bike parts from parts that should be recycled.

Bike Build Shifts - In 2022, Kickstand embarked on it’s first Bike Matching Partnership with Rainbow Refugee Society to provide their LGBTQI+ refugee claimants with bicycles and the accessories needed to ride them. And in 2023, Kickstand and the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society (AMCS) were awarded the City of Vancouver Greenest City Grant to provide the families who reside at the AMCS with bicycles, along with a storage facility and educational workshops. On some Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings, Volunteers host a bike building shift where we focus on building up bikes for our community bike matching partnerships.

Our volunteer intake is currently on hold at this time due to a high number of applicants. Please check back here in a few months

Note: Kickstand typically holds volunteer orientations once a month. Depending on the number of applications, it may take us a while to get to your application. We appreciate your patience!

If you are feeling really keen, have a look through our Kickstand Volunteer Manual before you come to the orientation!

 
 
Two people are standing behind a bicycle stand examining a sheet of paper. There is a mountain bike without a wheel on the bike stand.